Nine Favorite Things: New Cookbook, Sunday Dinner + Fall Style

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Nine Favorite Things | halfbakedharvest.com

Surprise! I hopped from Austin to Miami, repacked my bags, and headed to New York.

I’m usually in New York around this time most years for meetings, photoshoots, Fashion Week, or different work opportunities. This trip, however, is a little different, and I am LOVING it.

I’m here at the most special time, getting ready to share something I’ve poured my heart, energy, and so much of myself into creating for close to three years now.

And right now, I’m having a very full-circle moment because I’m writing this from the very same coffee shop where the idea first started almost three years ago.

Life is funny in the way things line up. I really believe things happen the way they’re meant to—the good and the bad. Take it all in, find the lessons and the beauty, and keep moving forward.

I was out walking this morning, and it was the most beautiful mid-September day in New York. The trees are still pretty green, but there’s a light breeze, and you can feel fall in the air. It’s so close! I’m set to be back in October and cannot wait to see the leaves. My favorite time in New York!

Backing up a little, I finished our photoshoot in Austin, headed home to Miami, and then things lined up for New York.

I landed late Wednesday and went straight to dinner with a couple of really good friends at Chez Margaux in the West Village. We somehow ended up with sushi rolls, samosas, and a cheese pizza. So random, but all really good.

The next morning was full of meetings at the Four Seasons New York Downtown. You all, the staff could not have been kinder. They went above and beyond, and it’s such a nice hotel for families too. The pool and spa are great!

Even more fun, within minutes of walking into the lobby, I met two longtime followers who have all four cookbooks!

Meeting you guys in real life will forever be one of my favorite things. So much of what I do happens behind a camera, a computer screen, or at home. Getting to actually talk with you and hear your stories lights me up. If you ever see me out and about, please say hi!

The rest of the trip is a mix of work, meetings, time outside, and a special event at Radio City. Hopefully, I can sneak in a long walk through the park too.

That’s what I love about New York. There is always someone to see, something to do, or somewhere new to explore. The inspiration is everywhere.

I get asked all the time if I’ll ever move here. For now, I think longer stays—especially in the fall and during the holidays—are perfect for me. I love the city so much that I almost don’t want to lose what makes coming here feel so special.

And soon enough, I really hope to plan a handful of events where I can meet more of you too. I have A LOT of ideas these days.

Fall officially starts this week, and it really is the season when I feel the most creative and energized. It makes me want to dream bigger, create more, and just GO.

And speaking of big dreams, I have a very big announcement.

I’ve been teasing you all for the longest time, but today is finally the day I get to share my news!

My nerves are HIGH. I’m scared, excited, grateful, and feeling all of it. This has been such a huge part of my life for nearly three years, and it feels a little surreal that I finally get to let you all in.

I hope you’re just as excited as I am.

Have a great Sunday and happy fall!

There’s so much beauty in letting things go, making space for what’s ahead, and trusting where life is taking you.

And right now, my heart is dreaming bigger than I knew it could.

1. Things I’m Loving.

Wearing

This week has been fun because I’ve been in New York and actually able to wear some more styled looks!

A few highlights. I’ve loved these distressed jeans. They’re super cute with a heel. Then just add a blazer or sweater. I styled them both ways this week. I also love this Staud cashmere sweater. So comfy and something I’ll wear all through fall and winter. And this blue cotton sweater from Gap is great too.

Friday night, I wore a cute blazer to an event for Benny’s new self-help book (highly recommend it!) with these leather pants. Another night, I paired this calf hair jacket with the same distressed jeans. The jacket is definitely an investment, but it’s such a great piece.

I’ve been trying to get more creative with styling pieces I already have—swapping tops and bottoms and rewearing things in different ways. I love a full look, but sometimes keeping it simple is nice too!

For shoes, I mostly wore these Alaïa tiger calf pumps. I’ve worn them so much and always get compliments. This pair is much more affordable and looks almost identical!

I’m not sure where I’m off to next, but I hope it includes more cute styling. I LOVE wearing an outfit that makes me feel good. Put me in a great outfit and I’m instantly more confident!

Onto my mom. I think she would be obsessed with this faux fur jacket. She loves anything super warm and cozy.

And I know it’s a little 2000s of me, but I personally want a pair of the classic tall UGG boots. Are you buying UGGs again? I’m super curious!

Listening to

This was kind of a funny week. I bounced around from podcast to podcast and honestly wasn’t crazy interested in anything. I think my concentration has been a little off from all the traveling. Sometimes my brain just wanders too much!

I did, however, love this week’s Goop episode. You all know my friend Benny by now. Well, he was on this week, talking about his new book, F*ck Failure. Only Benny could get a title like that published and make it successful. Only Benny.

It was such a great conversation. Fun and easy to listen to. Yet you’ll still walk away with helpful tools to succeed at what you love and push past the fear of failure.

Benny Blanco Isn’t Afraid to Fail

Wellness

I have been making and effort recently to try something new each week. I’ve been diving into Ayurvedic-style cooking, exploring breathwork, and trying new forms of movement too.

Since I’m in New York, I’m taking advantage of everything around me. There is always so much happening here, someon to meet up with, and so much to try. This week, I took a Pilates class in the West Village with Kayla, the founder of MND Bod Pilates. I’ve done reformer Pilates before, but I’m definitely still a beginner.

This class felt different. Kayla has such a beautiful way of connecting movement to your breath. My mind can wander in a million directions, so I loved how present I felt throughout the class.

I left feeling so good. When I’m back in New York, I’m excited to book another class with Kayla and hopefully work more Pilates into my routine.

Travel

Vermont in the fall and winter looks so cozy. There are so many cute Airbnbs I’d love to stay in.

My mom is planning more Italy travel, so I sent her this Vogue Vacations: 9 Days in Sardinia and The Best Places to Visit in Italy. Sardinia looks so beautiful!

Around my Home

Since home is kind of wherever I am right now, I haven’t been getting much for the house. Mainly, I’ve been shipping holiday decor to Colorado and ordering candles. I just ordered this mini guy for my suitcase. It’s coming any minute, and I cannot wait to burn it tonight.

I also think this light dimmer switch is pretty fun. I don’t love overhead lights in general and prefer candlelight whenever possible, but this would be great for creating a softer mood at dinner, especially around the holidays.

And oh, I LOVED the home tour of Paige and Tommy Paul. It’s basically my dream home, dream location, and just such a beautiful way to live. I completely adore the house, the property, all of it. So special!

Odds and Ends

Thomas Berolzheimer, who some of you may know through Julia Berolzheimer, is a pro at photography and recommended this selfie light in his newsletter this week. I never use a selfie light on my phone, but he convinced me to try it, so I ordered one! I hate traveling with MORE things, but if it helps me capture a better photo, I’m here for it.

And all of Thomas’s film camera recommendations are so good too!

And if you couldn’t tell, I love following both Julia and Thomas. They’re doing things differently from the rest of the crowd and completely in their own way. You know something is theirs the second you see it. I’d follow Thomas’s Substack and Julia’s Instagram…if you don’t already!

On the reading front, I’m going through Radhi’s cookbook, JoyFull: Cook Effortlessly, Eat Freely, Live Radiantly, page by page this week. I’m also still making my way through Dr. Will Cole’s Heal Your Cells, and I’ve loved reading the two alongside each other.

A lot of Radhi’s approach to cooking fits so naturally with what I’m learning about holistic nutrition. It’s been fun to read them side by side and start connecting all the dots.

So excited to share my really good friend Olivia’s newest project with you all! Many of you know Olivia from her own channels and now her beauty line, Annadea. She is also a true supermom. Her daughter, Suede, is only one!

Olivia is launching her first cookbook, Glow-Getter, March ninth, 2027, and I’m so excited for her. I got an advance copy and I already have so many pages marked and recipes I want to make.

There are more than one hundred gluten-, dairy-, and refined sugar-free recipes, but what I love is that the food still feels exciting and satisfying. With everything I’ve been learning around nutrition lately, this book came at such a fun time for me personally. I’m excited to actually cook from it and share what I make.

She worked so hard on this cookbook and I am so happy to share it with you all!

Beauty

The beauty loves this week are products I’ve recommended time and time again. I love trying new things, but I have sensitive skin, so when something works, I stick with it.

For this trip, I packed the MUTHA body butter, Eighth Day night cream, these eye patches, and the OSEA travel kit. And oh, this hair brush. It’s expensive, but it really works. They just launched a body brush, and of course, now I want that too!

Supplement-wise, I always travel with Cymbiotika Vitamin B12 and The Omega. I’ve been taking the Kion Omega too and really liking it.

And I’m excited to squeeze in a facial with Cynthia tomorrow. It’s been maybe a year since I’ve seen her! I’ll let you know if she recommends anything new.

Where I’m Eating

We ate at Le Rock before Radio City and sat outside. It was such a nice September night. The table ordered fries and mocktails, and it was just fun to sit outside and eat right in the heart of Rockefeller Center.

I almost wish the tree had been up. It would have been the perfect view!

Also, I am making it my goal to see the Rockettes in December. How have I never done this?!

What are your favorite spots in New York?

Joy of the Week

If I had to pick just one, this week it’s easy. Meeting so many of you while I’ve been out and about.

I know I say this a lot, but hearing your stories means the world to me. Hearing the ways my recipes, my voice, my style, or even little pieces of advice have had a positive impact on you makes everything feel so worth it.

Those conversations always stay with me.

Looking Ahead

The question is, where to next?

I’m not totally sure yet, but I’m excited to see where the next few weeks take me. There’s a lot happening behind the scenes, so I’m trying to stay open, take things as they come, and enjoy all of it.

And of course, I’m very ready for fall. More cozy recipes, more travel, more creating, and hopefully a few surprises along the way.

2. From the Archive: Really GOOD Fall Recipes.

Glazed Honeycrisp Apple Fritter Cake

Cider Punch

BOO! Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Cinnamon Apple Bourbon Smash

Cider Braised Pot Roast with Crispy Sage Butter Potatoes

Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo | halfbakedharvest.com

Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs and Creamy Orzo

Sage Brown Butter Pumpkin Pasta Alfredo

Fluffy Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

3. The Harvest Dinner Table and Home.

4. A very Special Announcment.

Where and how to begin? I guess let’s just get it out because you have been waiting for this, I have been waiting for this, and I am SO excited to finally share the news!

There is a NEW Half Baked Harvest cookbook coming this February!

On February 22, 2027, Half Baked Harvest at Home is officially out.

There are over 125 recipes, all created for you to easily recreate in YOUR home, wherever that may be.

I actually can’t believe I finally get to say that. Someone pinch me! After almost three years of working on this book, it feels pretty surreal to finally be sharing it with you.

Yes, this is my fifth cookbook. You would think I might have this down by now. That maybe the self-doubt, fear, and worry would disappear. But I’m human. Just a girl like you all, working hard, figuring things out, and paving my own path.

Cookbooks are hard, you guys. I put everything I have into creating a book—every last ounce of me. The process can break me down, and sometimes I have to crawl my way back out to see the sunshine again. There are always tears, a lot of second-guessing, and so much hard work. But that’s creating. It’s not always easy, but in the end, it’s always worth it.

And now, as this book is actually being printed for you all to cook from and love, I feel so proud to finally share it.

The meaning behind this cookbook feels even more true to me today than it did almost three years ago when I started creating it.

As you all know, home has looked very different for me over these last few years. There’s been so much travel, long stays in Austin, a move to Miami, weeks in Europe, and now an opportunity to be back in Colorado, in the home and studio I was fortunate enough to build.

Through all of it, I realized something.

Home isn’t just one building with four walls and a roof.

Home is what you make it. It can be your house, an apartment, a hotel room, or even a dorm room. It’s wherever you’re serving dinner that night and wherever you’re snuggling up to sleep.

Nothing makes a place feel more like home than a home-cooked meal and a candle burning (flowers are a big bonus for me). I actually forgot to pack a candle for New York this week, and everything feels slightly off.

That feeling of home is what this cookbook is all about.

The book is organized like my previous cookbooks, starting with breakfast, then appetizers and drinks, salads, soups, and all the mains—from pizza and pasta to meat, chicken, seafood, and vegetarian dinners. And dessert. I would never forget that!

These are some of my very best recipes, including so many family favorites. My Nonnie’s meatloaf, my mom’s favorite prosciutto pasta, Oslo’s everyday breakfast request, my dad’s favorite bowl of gumbo (that I’ve somehow been making since before the website even existed), and my older brother Creighton’s ten-out-of-ten steak dinner.

They’re approachable recipes filled with the warm spices, cozy flavors, and ingredients I love most. They’re the meals I actually cook and the food my family gathers around.

And finally, I get to share them with you.

I truly cannot wait for you to bring Half Baked Harvest at Home into your home. This book feels so special. It continues my story, it’s a piece of my heart, and within these pages, I’m inviting you into my home.

My biggest hope is that you can open this book and almost jump inside—into the stories, the photos, the moments, and, of course, the recipes. I want you to cook from it with confidence, excitement, and hunger! And don’t be afraid to spill your wine, splatter the pages with pasta sauce, or leave a few melted chocolate smudges behind. A messy cookbook is a well-loved cookbook!

Over the next few months, I’m going to share so much more from the nearly three years it took to create this book, including plenty of photos and stories I’ve never shared before.

And something fun for today—you’re getting the first little peek inside my Colorado studio, where I photographed many of the recipes and all of the lifestyle images for the book.

Half Baked Harvest at Home is officially available for preorder today!

Thank you for the support you continue to give me, my cookbooks, and the website. I truly couldn’t have created any of this without you. I’m so grateful you’re here, and I am so excited to finally bring you into this next chapter!

5. The Sunday Dinner Menu is Live.

In other fun news, I shared the Harvest Sunday Dinner this week, and it’s been so fun seeing everyone’s excitement!

I’ve definitely gotten feedback from a few of you saying that the full dinner feels like way too much to make on a Sunday. And I totally understand! But I also want to reiterate something I shared in the original post: what I love about Sunday dinner—or really, any dinner made for the people you love—is that you can make it whatever YOU need it to be.

I shared all of my ideas, tips, and notes and really built out a FULL guide for creating a very special Sunday night dinner. But that certainly doesn’t mean you need to make everything!

On an average Sunday night, or even a weeknight, here’s the cool thing: the only recipe you really need to make a complete dinner is the Cider Pot Roast. The Crispy Parmesan Roasted Sweet Potatoes cook right on top of the roast, so essentially, you’re making one recipe and getting the potatoes on the side too!

From there, maybe you add the salad. Or skip the salad and make the apple cobbler cake instead. Pick what sounds good, make what you have time for, and create the dinner that works best for you.

The Sunday Night Dinner Menu

Next week, I’m going to share more about the wines I choose for entertaining throughout the fall and holiday season. It’s almost time!